New Zealanders sign petition to ban Celine Dion music battles
Motorists blasting Celine Dion music from louspeakers are keep residents up all night.
While the Springboks will be facing off against the Kiwis in France on Saturday, a clash of a different kind is brewing in New Zealand.
According to the BBC, Porirua residents are calling for a ban on music battles involving Celine Dion songs.
Motorists in the area have been playing the French-Canadian singer's songs at 2am. The 'siren battles', as they are called, involve drivers blasting the music as loud as they can.
Multiple cars are said to be taking part in the battles.
Fed-up residents have launched a petition to bring the madness to an end as the noise pollution is keeping them up at night.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker told AFP that the battles have become a major "headache" for residents.
"They like anyone with a high pitch and great tone in their voice," the mayor said.
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Celine's 'My Heart Will Go On', which featured on the 'Titanic' movie soundtrack, seems to be the song of choice for car drivers.
'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' is also popular.
Siren battles have been taking place for years, and Celine has always been a favourite.
"Celine Dion is popular because it's such a clear song - so we try to use music that has high treble, is clear and not much bass," a man named Paul Lesoa told The SpinOff in 2022.
A petition on change.org to stop the 'siren battles' has been signed by hundreds of people.
"Stop the car meets blasting excessively loud music and siren noises in Porirua," the petition, which was published on October 6, reads.
"Enough is enough. Porirua City Council must act and stop the gathering of car meets blasting music and emergency sirens noises at all hours of the night. Ratepayers are tired of the inaction and dismissive attitude shown by the Council and the Mayor concerning this issue," it adds.
Several residents also voiced their anger.
"It's hard to get to sleep some nights when music is blasting," one resident wrote.
Another added: "It’s bl**dy annoying hearing the music late at night especially to the extent these people play it. It’s ridiculous!!"
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Main image credit: Instagram/@celinedion